Starting Over
by Negs of Baker Street
Summary: A.U With Kadaj and his gang out of the way, Tseng and the Turks have decided to begin recruiting. Part one Starting Over will feature the first Turk recruit, Logan who is young, stubborn and clever. Which Turk can 'break her in?
1. Chapter 1

Part 1: The Making of a Monster

"Logan!" Her mother cried out in sheer pain, one hand clutching the left side of her face while the other reached toward her daughter. Tears streamed down the mothers face, mingling with the black pus of the stigma. "Logan, give me them." Pleaded the painfully infected woman, her breath coming in short gasps through the screaming.

But the girl, only looking to be the tender age of thirteen, remained against the wall, clutching the painkillers to her chest. She, too, was crying as she watched her beloved mother writhe in pain. "y-you can't have any more!"

"Logan, give them to me!" Came the hoarse reply.

"No, you've already had too many. Any more and you could…" Her voice, already two octaves higher than usual, betrayed her terror. Sweat was pouring down her face, drenching her little blue dress. "Mom, please."

"Give me the fucking pills, Logan! Can't you see I'm in pai-" The woman was cut off by her own blood curling scream as another wave of pain shot through her body, sending a fresh line of discharge down her face and neck. Without thinking, the young teen rushed forward as to help her mother, but the first thing the woman grabbed was the canister. Her mother fumbled with the cap, removing her hand from her wretched face. All poor Logan could see was that black monster, eating away her mothers' beauty; a monster that was trying so hard to destroy its host. Terrified, Logan drew back, gold eyes wide with fear as she stared at the destruction.

~It's living hell watching someone you love go through hell. ~

Eventually, the screaming ceased and Logan returned to her place beside her mother. It was well past midnight, and sleep was fighting its way into the young girls' eyes. But she forced it away as she took her mothers clean hand into her own. Logan felt the uncontrollable shaking rock her mothers' body, jolting her own arm as she looked over the damage. Black drenched her mothers' beautiful golden hair, the once clean bed sheets and even parts of the floor.

"Water…towels…clean." Rasped the infected.

With a small nod, Logan turned away to hurry out of the bedroom. She had understood the command perfectly after living with the Geostigma for a good seven months. Water to drink, towels to wipe away the sweat, and the stigma discharge had to be cleaned up.

~You're terrified beyond belief. The whole body goes numb with fear and the heart reaches unimaginable speeds. You want to help and do everything in your power to stop the pain and suffering. ~

Logan slowly made her way down the hall, her arms full of cleaning supplies, her hands holding tightly to the cool glass of water. Two or three towels were slung over her shoulder as she shuffled to the door, gently pushing it over with her shoulder.

Then an odd sound caught her sensitive ears. It wasn't the sound of ragged snoring or peaceful slumber. It wasn't the sound of a sickly woman recovering from a pain attack from hell. Logans' heart dropped for thousands of stories as she realized what was missing. It was completely silent…dead silent.

~Even if that means killing them. ~

The glass shattered as it hit the floor, shortly followed by the bottles of cleaning chemicals. Her mother wasn't even moving anymore, her chest didn't rise or fall and her body didn't twitch. Logan told her self to move forward, but she stood frozen to the spot, so frozen she couldn't even shake with terror.

Something caught her eye then; something white resting on the floor just under the bed. It took her a good five minutes to begin moving again, having to force herself to believe that her mother might still be living. With a gulp, she began walking forward, keeping her eyes low as to avoid the sight of her mother, alive or not. Once she was close enough, she knelt beside it, taking it into her freezing hands.

It was an empty canister. The canister that had held the pain killers. The canister that they had gotten last night.

Sick realization dawned in the girls' eyes as she finally began her shaking, her throat closing with distress and her eyes fogging with tears. She had killed her own mother.

~My name is Logan Reed. My mother suffered, really suffered, from Geostigma. All I wanted was to end her suffering, to stop her pain, and it seemed the only that could happen was to kill the poor bitch. Of course, a year after she had died, after I had been living on the streets of Midgar long enough to take care of my self and anyone that gave me shit, the rain came. I watched kids around me, watched how their stigma disappeared in pretty green lights. I had killed my mom for nothing. I had killed her in cold blood.

It's been two years since that damn rain came and washed away the sickness. I've clamed a few more lives, but only people who deserved it, ya know? Looking for forgiveness, I guess. Kill people that killed other people. Guess I'm not afraid to die myself. Hell, I want to die myself. But I won't stoop low enough to kill myself. Let some one kill me. Or try to at least.

Four years ago, when the old ShinRa exploded and the meteor and the lifestream incident had happened, my dad had died, along with my older brother. They had taught me to fight, and taught me to never give up. They also taught me to show mercy…I did and it ended up killing my mom. You can guess that no one received any grief from me after that. ~

Part 2: Something Worth Looking At

She perched in the window, her golden eyes looking down on the world, watching everyone move around.

~I don't know if you could call me a hero. Hero's save people from bad people and just beat up bad guys. But I kill them after the people they hurt are dead. ~

Gold eyes watched as the woman was backed against the wall, a knife to her throat. The man whispered something in her ear and her precious blue eyes widened in fear as she tried to run the other way. But he had a firm grip on her arm, and pressed the blade to her throat.

~ I was fourteen when I first saw them. ~

There were suddenly two men in suits running into the alley way, one shouting curses at the attacker, the other just running alongside, much larger and scarier than the vocalist. The cursing one had the oddest hair, and the gold eyes stared, mesmerized by the flaming red. They easily caught the mugger before he even had the chance to see who was after him. He had released the woman, who had run the opposite way with even wider eyes, and the two men in suits grabbed his arms and forced him to the wall.

~The locals had called them demons from hell, and the flaming red hair of that one just made it all the funnier. But I knew that they were really called Turks. Turks were a group of highly trained and skilled fighters that worked as henchmen for the president. When ShinRa wanted someone, the Turks were the delivery boys…or the exterminators. ~

Flaming red head stepped away from the dead body, cracking his pale knuckles and swiveling around to face his partner. His aqua blue eyes were forced to look upwards, yet he didn't meet the sunglasses of his tall friend, but the golden eyes of the young girl, perched in the window a few stories up. They stood there for a minute or two, just watching each other.

The large bald one was on the phone, quickly relaying the success of their mission to the leader, as the red head continued to stare. Curious, the larger man followed his gaze, and he, too found the young girl, her whole face hidden by a curtain of black hair. But those eyes pierced through them, scrutinized them.

"Sir, We'll have to call you back…I think Reno's found something worth looking at."

~ It was then I decided I never wanted to be a Turk. They were cold and heartless. The kind of people that didn't give a flying fuck about peoples emotions and life. The kind of people that would do anything as long as they got paid. As far as I thought, I wasn't cold. I killed people that deserved it; they killed people to gain something for themselves. I followed my instincts; they followed orders. I was free; they were prisoners. ~

Immediately, she pulled away from the window, landing swiftly on the wooden floor. Her boots thunked against the floor as she ran the other way, towards the stairs. She paused, considering going down, but she heard voices, the same voices from the alley. Heart pounding in her chest, she tried to remain calm as she spun back towards the window, her hand clutching the sword charm strung around her neck. What was she to do? Kill the Turks? Impossible.

"What floor was she on?" The red heads voice came from the direction of the stairs, and her heart skipped a beat as she searched for a way to escape. The Turks were coming for her and she was trapped in the room. Well, she appeared to be trapped.

~There was no way in hell I was going to let them get to me without a fight. ~

She pulled the sword charm free, flicking her wrist fiercely to the right. In a swirl of bright green lights, the charm enlarged itself, extending to an average sized weapon. A smirk crossed her face as the red haired Turk appeared at the top of the stairs, eyes wide with surprise. The second Turk quickly followed with a metal rod in his gigantic tan hand.

They stood like that for a few moments, just watching the other, waiting to see who would move first. But after a while, no one had moved, and it was the large man who spoke first.

"Put the sword down, kid. We don't want to hurt you."

Silence was the only answer he received.

He sighed and slowly put away his rod, holding up his hands in a form of cease fire. "My name is…"

"I don't care." She said quickly, cutting him off. Her sword remained pointed at the closest man, the red head. "You're Turks, that's enough information for me."

"Aren't you curious as to why we chased you up here?" The red head piped up, his rod still out and pointed at her.

"You didn't chase me any where. I was already here…" Her eyes shifted slightly to the ground, and she imagined what was beneath her. She had remembered there was an abandoned bedroom somewhere on the second floor, but her mind was too focused on the men in the room to remember exactly where it was. One weakness she had was the ability to access her memory in any battle. But a strength she had was taking a chance. "This… is chasing."

In a blink of an eye, the young girl plunged her sword into the deteriorating wood, and spun in a small circle, easily slicing through the floor. She fell through the freshly made hole, landing on the second floor as the two Turks rushed forward, peering through the wreckage. Under the cover of dust and wood splinters, the girl fled the abandoned house.

Part 3: Dynamic Duo

~I had stumbled across the duo numerous times after that, but each time I managed to escape their monstrous and greedy grasps. Forced to leave Midgar, I relocated in the ruins. ~

Reno was beyond annoyed. After being outsmarted by a little girl and humiliated after his partner had retold the story to his leader, they were forced to look more into the girls' profile. His leader had retrieved a picture of the golden eyed girl, and once the two confirmed that was the girl they had pursued, their new mission was to hunt her down and take her back to their hideaway.

"Logan Reed, around the age o' fifteen, give or take. Gold eyes, black hair, dead mom, dead dad, freaky sword jewelry, convicted of…six murders!" Reno gave a low whistle as he read the profile aloud. His eyes wandered over to his partner. "Fucked up kid, eh?"

His partner, Rude, shrugged, picking up the folder from the cars hood. "The people she killed were equally convicted criminals. Since we're the authorities around here and Rufus doesn't find the need for a jail, Tseng just takes the accounts from witnesses and files it away."

"Rufus and his population control."

"Tseng and his eye for Turks." Rude retorted, looking around the thought to be deserted ruins. From experience with tracking, Rude knew this was the one place to find runaways and loners. If he would ever talk, Cloud would attest to that. "Guess we better start looking."

"We don't hafta go far." Reno was pointing at boot treads leading towards a nearby building. Kneeling beside it, he examined the marks. "Eh…size seven. Woman. Might be our girl."

"Might be."

The two made their way into the run down apartment building, the whole roof completely blown off and slowly crumbling towards the tenth floor. Reno raised an eyebrow at his partner, silently asking which floor they'd like to start on, but Rude simply grunted, meaning they might as well start on the first.

Luckily, the tread marks continued into the dust covered tile floor. A smirk pulled at the Turks lips. For a semi skilled fighter, the girl wasn't the greatest at staying hidden. She either left evidence behind, (Reno kicked an empty bottle of water, still somewhat wet.) or she let people see her. Following the tracks, the two men were led to the fourth floor, flashlights in hand, where the marks disappeared beyond the door of room number 180.

"Ms. Reed, ya need to pay the rent." Reno muttered, flashing his trademark smile at his partner, who equally had a small smile pulling at the edge of his lips. "Are we gonna break down the door?"

Rude shook his head, leaning forward and setting his ear against the door, listening intently. He slowly reached for the door handle, taking the cool metal into his hand and turning it slightly, half expecting it to remain locked. Much to their surprise, the door swung open, revealing the entrance hallway, leading into the main living room. Light poured in from the window, shining on the large, torn sofa located in said room; unbeknownst to the men a sleeping Logan curled completely into a ball at one end.

Slowly, the men continued forward, guns raised and ready to fire. They stepped as lightly as possible; making sure no sound would come from them and awake her. A soft wind blew at Reno's hair, and he stopped, looking directly at open window. His eyes widened as he looked back at the open door, Rude following his gaze again. As if on cue, a gust of wind blew into the window, flipping Reno's ponytail over his shoulder and catching the door.

'Slam!' Reno and Rude froze, eyes wandering back into the apartment. But no girl came rushing at them, no alarm was called. The only sound that carried through the apartment was a short snore from a girl in slumber.

The fiery red head stopped, peering over the edge at the sleeping girl. "Seriously?"

"Well. At least you don't have risk another bloody nose."

"Hey, that tree branch came outta nowhere!" Reno hissed, stabbing a finger in Rudes direction. Logan suddenly stirred, and the two stepped back, guns raised and ready again. But she simply rolled over and lay still once more. "Just get the cuffs on her before she wakes up, man."

"Yeah." Rude said, his heart still beating a little too fast for his comfort. The bald Turk gradually pulled the handcuffs from his breast pocket, careful to keep his gun pointed in her direction. While the two were some of the fiercest Turks left, the two were forced to be as careful as possible due their string of failures in capturing the young girl. Even the slightest wrong doing could lose their target, and standing just three feet away has been the closest they have gotten yet.

With both her hands hanging off the side of the couch, Reno crept around to the front, his free hand holding up three fingers. He was going to grab her wrists just as Rude clamped the cuffs on. One finger went down, and Rude leaned over the couch. A second finger down and Reno's hands grew closer. Down went the third and they both leapt into action.

As soon as the pale hands of his partner clamped around Logans hands, Rude dove and locked the cuffs into place. The young girl was jolted awake, and she instinctively brought her fists up, connecting with Reno's nose while her elbow knocked into Rudes face, shattering his sunglasses. Alarmed, the girl sat up, staring horrified at the two, then her bound hands, then back at the men. Luckily, Reno had fallen to the floor, while Rude had taken a step or two back, his hand already grappling for his gun again.

Harsh brown eyes glared at her as she leapt to her feet, quickly giving Reno a good kick to the gut before rushing deeper into the apartment. Unfortunately, she didn't get far as Rude raised his gun, firing it before she even left the room. The bullet pierced her leg, and she went down with an anguished cry.

"God damnit!" Reno coughed, wiping blood away from his nose again. "Twice in one day? Twice in one day! That kinda shit don't happen!" He held his arm out to Rude, showing off the blood. "Look at that!"

Logan clutched her injured leg, biting her lip to keep herself from screaming. Whatever she'd do, she would not let these men see her in pain. Rude, who had dodged Reno and his bloodied jacket, stepped up to her, kneeling before her. "Logan, I'd like you to come with us, okay?"

"You can take me dead!" She spat, actually pulling back and spitting in the Turks face. Rude didn't even budge, but sighed, wiping the saliva from his face and reaching into his own Turk jacket. "I hate you all! You're nothing but cold blooded monsters! You do nothing but what you're told, you slimy sons of bitches, you-"

She fell to the floor unconscious, and Rude glared at his partner who stumbled a tad after giving the girl a good kick to the temple. Reno gave his partner an innocent look, blood still dripping from his nose.

"What?"

Part 4: Nerves

It was silent in the Healin lodge, save for Reno and his constantly drumming fingers. With the child in hand, the two had made their way back, as ordered, to their headquarters, where the girl was taken to the basement by Tseng, leader of the Turks. Now that the mission was complete, Reno was left ultimately jaded out of his own mind. For the third time that hour, a crumpled paper ball was thrown in Rudes direction.

The bald Turk let Renos' contraption hit its target before sighing and pacing the length of the main room again. It wasn't long before the fourth ball came flying his way, and Rude easily caught this one, flinging back at his partner. Irritated, he snapped "Will you grow up?"

"I am grown up. What do you think people who work in those boxes do all day? Ya know, like the bankers and people behind desks? I'm not the only one to do this." As if to finish his argument, the red head tossed another crumpled paper at his partner. When Rude dodged it and pulled his own gun to shoot it down, Reno laughed. "Come on, yo. You can't tell me you're not as bored as I am. Sure you don't let anyone know when you're _anything_, but ya still gotta admit, after two hours of nothing, it starts to get on ya nerves."

"After ten years with you, you still get on my nerves."

"I get on everybody's nerves, partner. But they all still love me in the end." Reno flashed his trademark grin. "Ya can't say you don't love me-"

"I don't love you."

"-without lying through your teeth."

In response, Rude simply grunted, letting the entire conversation fall flat. Reno, realizing Rude was finished talking, decided to get up and make his way over to the door leading to the basement, peering through the window. As he said, it had been a total of two hours since they had returned, and as far as he was concerned, the girl hadn't woken up. The only thing visible to Renos aqua eyes were the dimly lit stair case and pert of the cold steely floor.

Able to read his partner like a book, Rude walked up behind him, peering over his shoulder. "You better hope she wakes up some time soon."

"Or what? Rufus'll have my ass on a silver platter? Please, yo, he's already got it on gold." The man smirked, glancing over his shoulder. "He's got yours on a platinum trophy."

"Another one of your blasted metaphors, Reno?" The silky smooth voice filtered into the ears of the two Turks, and they quickly spun around, cold, calculating blue eyes watching them behind a curtain of dirty golden hair. Rufus ShinRa smiled with detestable delight. "So you two were finally able to capture the slum runner?" His eyes suddenly narrowed as it fell upon Renos face. "What happened to your nose? It's about as red as your hair."

"The girl put up a fight." Reno growled. "This was nothing compared to what I did to her."

Rufus saw right through the bluff. "One, you make everything sound bigger than it actually is, two, you've lied at least several times for the past several years, therefore informing me you're lying right now, and three, I've already seen the girl, Reno. The only wound she has on her is the bullet hole in her right leg." A look was fired at Rude. "Luckily, she's been asleep this whole time, allowing us to examine her in peace. Tseng seems to think she has the strength and potential. I think it's just going to be another nuisance."

"Is she still sleeping?" Rude asked, seeing the scowl cross Renos' face.

"She's showing signs of waking up soon. Tseng's put her in the simulator down below, going on about some sort of escape exercise and testing her quick thinking." He said with a shrug. Again, he looked Reno up and down with his heartless eyes. "As I said, I don't have many high hopes for this girl. She already seems like the sarcastic type. The last thing we really need is another Reno…we don't even need the first Reno."

Rude saw his partners hands ball into fists, and he quickly stepped in front of friends way, glaring at him over his dark sunglasses. The president hadn't even noticed the sudden tension as he left the room, and Rude was forced to take the red heads face into his hands. "Calm down, Reno."

"I'm going to kill him one day, Rude, I swear to Jenova, I will!" His voice was just below a yell, his whole body shaking with anger. It took a lot to piss Reno off this much, but Rufus was the one man he couldn't retort to, the one man he couldn't stand up to, and Rufus took much pleasure in it. Rufus enjoyed watching the red heads defense crumble before him; he enjoyed watching him get all riled up like a beast trapped hopelessly in a cage. That's what pissed Reno off the most. Not the insults, but the fact he couldn't _do_ anything about the insults. "That son of a bitch is gonna get himself killed."

"That son of a bitch signs your paycheck." Rude commented, pushing Reno onto the couch. He could tell the mans pride was severely wounded, and a jackass spree was on its way. It was the only way Reno regained his usual laid back self. All Rude could do was sit back and let them younger man fume. "Hey Reno."

"What?" He snapped.

A crumbled paper ball was flung at the red heads face, hitting him square between the eyes.

"Grow up." Reno huffed.

Part 5: Simulations

The rattling of wood woke her with a start, and she bolted up right, eyes wide with fear. Suddenly, the room spun and she fell back against the wooden wall of the small shack. Her head throbbed and swam as she tried to recall what had happened and where she was. But all she could see was a dark enclosure, with patches of a dusky light pouring in from small holes in the wood. She moved her hands to rub her face, but the sound of clanging metal made her pause.

Metal? Wood? Her golden eyes looked down at her hands and she gasped, finding a pair of chains holding them to the ground. Furious golden eyes wandered around the enclosure, and she confirmed it was some sort of old wooden shack, complete with rusted old shovels and gardening supplies. Then it all came back to her. The relocating, the waking up to the men in suits, then the exploding pain she had felt in her leg.

Her leg. She immediately felt her leg, expecting to feel a wave of pain in response. But nothing happened. No pain, no blood, and as she looked down, the jeans were torn from the bullet, yet there was not scar. "The hell?" She could have sworn on her life the bald Turk had shot her. All the warmth fled from her body as her anger and fear flared once again. "Turks!"

Immediately, she knew she had been kidnapped and stuffed in some shed until the demons needed her for something. Hands balled into angered fists, she punched the side of the shack, the weak wood lurching forward with the force. In a chain reaction, the front wall began creaking and falling out ward, hitting the dusty ground with a soft 'thud. The force of the wood hitting the ground sent a gust of wind towards her, blowing her jet black hair around and sending sand into her face. Coughing, she began wiping the particles from her eyes until she heard something cracking from above. She froze as the whole thing started tilting over, the adjacent wall coming apart as the roof itself began caving in and the rusted shelves began falling forward

Screaming, Logan managed to scurry away just as the top shelf came barreling down to the ground, shortly followed by the entire roof. Terrified, she threw her arms over her head, the chains slapping her in the face, as the rest of the shack collapsed on top of her.

"Tell me we did not spend two months hunting down this kid for you to drop a fuckin' pile of wood on her!" Reno growled, staring at the wreckage behind the glass of the simulator. Tseng had ignored him, his dark brown eyes continuing to watch the heap of debris as his fingers worked the control board. The red head looked over at his partner for help, but Rude remained silent.

"Worry not, Reno," Tseng sighed, his long, raven black hair serving as a curtain between the two. "Your bloody nose won't be in vain." A ghost of a smile played across his handsome features.

"Does everyone know about that?" Reno hissed, glaring directly at Rude.

She groaned as forced herself to her hands and knees, letting the destroyed pieces of wood fall from her. Pieces of dust and wood still clung to her, but she didn't bother with them, her mind set on figuring out where she was rather than keeping herself clean. The harsh sun stung her eyes, blinding her momentarily while she got to her feet, hands hanging at her sides. She could still feel the weight of the chain, and once her golden eyes could see in the bright light, she looked down at them in disgust. "Damn Turks."

_First things first_, she thought, pushing aside a plank of wood to reveal a pile of gardening supplies. While she had never been chained to the ground before, she had dealt with chain link fences in the past and knew what it took to cut through them. Satisfied, she heaved a giant pair of pliers, examining the metal with a smirk. For their fierce appearance, Turks weren't the brightest bunch. Her smirk became a full blown smile as she placed the sharp tool on the base where the chains remained fastened to the ground. With a powerful shove, she snapped the already rusting clamp, breaking off the chain as well.

Freed from the floor, she looked at the iron clamps that held her wrists, the chains still dangling from them. It was something she'd have to deal with until she was safely out of the Turks grasps. But as she turned around to step away from the crumpled shed, there was a sudden glowing light, and she spun back around to discover the light coming from the dismembered chains. In the whirl of brilliant blue pixel like lights, the chains and iron clamps disappeared, letting the warm air rush along her newly exposed skin.

Amazed, she stared at her wrists, feeling the warm skin in wonder. How had that happened? In the world she lived in, it wasn't out of the ordinary to see a whirl of_ green_ lights, yet that happened when someone dies, and if something terrible was happening, these monster creatures appeared as well. But she had never heard of objects disappearing at all. "What the hell is going on?" She muttered to herself. Something was out of the normal; something about the barren land around her was off.

"How much ya wanna bet she doesn't figure it out?" Reno asked, his arms crossed as he stood beside his partner.

"She's never been introduced to this kind of technology. I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't understand." Tseng answered quietly, his hands paused above the control panel. He narrowed his eyes, looking her up and down. "Where's her necklace?"

"The sword thing?" Reno held up the jewelry. "We took it from her just in case she woke up. You would think that if she had a shape shifting piece of metal, the fact that the chains went 'poof'," he made sure to use his hands for emphasis, "wouldn't weird her out as much."

"Yes, one would think that, Reno. But two might think that the sword has some sort of power in it. Maybe materia infused into the metal. Maybe a one of a kind." Tseng began muttering to himself rather his Turks. "But how would she come to have something like that? Questions, questions and no answers. Not yet, anyway." His head turned slightly to the left, as to see Reno is his peripheral. "Let me see the charm."

Reno held it out, but Tseng didn't take it, only stared at it for a long moment before returning to the control bored, once again letting his graceful hands glide over the controls.

Pushing the Houdini metal thought out her mind, Logan began her trek away from the fallen pile of wood, eyes searching for some source of information to reveal her location. There was nothing but the sand and grey sky. She suppressed an annoyed groan. Leave it to the Turks to know the most isolated areas in the world. Her hatred for the suit wearing group was rapidly growing.

Then something jolted her out of her thoughts, a low growl that sounded from behind her. Surprised, she spun around and where the shed had once laid, a new lizard like creature stood, its outer body looking like the skeleton of a cat. Empty eye sockets watched her as she paled substantially, watched her as she took a terrified step back, and watched her as panic and terror crossed her face. But it remained where it was for a second or more, just watching her and letting her stare.

On impulse, Logan spun around and ran the opposite way, hearing the creature screech in a warning as it began the chase. Her hand flung to her neck, searching for her sword charm, but there was nothing there. Terrified, she skidded to a stop, turning slightly around to see the creature coming closer and closer. Searching the pockets of her torn jeans, then her sleeveless jacket, she found no sign of her mystic charm. She looked up, golden eyes watching the monster near, and she forced herself to remain calm.

Psychotic murderers? Peace of cake. Angered gang members? Walk in the park. Two Turks? A simple nuisance. But this?

Another whirl of blue light caught her eye, but the creature came to a stop before of her, blocking her view. She felt the freezing breath as it loomed in front of her, its teeth glimmering in the sunlight. The creature continuously growled, sounding like some sort of cat. Watching it, Logan slowly peered to the side, eyes resting on a katana, sticking out of the ground only a few yards away.

Thinking quickly and only once, she spun around, letting her leg soar through the air and connect with the creatures face. With the cat-like creature knocked to the side momentarily, she sprinted headlong towards the weapon, hearing the heavy, monstrous pounding of a monster in pursuit. Then, just as soon as the pounding started, it had stopped, but the screeching told her the creature had gone airborne.

Suddenly, her feet dropped out from under her, and she slid forward, hands outstretched as she grabbed hold of the hilt, pulling it up with a battle cry and piercing the creature through the neck just as it came crashing down towards her. Her eyes were slammed shut as she awaited the painful impact of the bulky being, but the only thing that hit her was a gust of wind as the monster disappeared in a puff of black smoke.

Her breath came in quick gasps as she slowly sat upright, her whole body shaking as she watched the mysterious katana disappear once again in a whirl of light. But this time, the whole land began to disappear, and she watched everything dissolve away, a cold, metallic room taking it's place.

She rolled over, looking all around at the rapidly disappearing setting, and she immediately realized where she actually was. Her older brother had once told her about the training simulations he had gone through while in SOLIDER. Anger coursed through her as she pounded the metallic floor. So much for the 'not so bright Turks.'

"Well done, Logan."

Furious, she spun around to find the leader of the Turks leaning forward to speak into the microphone. The two other Turks stood behind him, the flaming red head smirking slightly while the bald Turk remained emotionless. Again, she hit the ground, the sound echoing through the small room as she cursed under her breath. "Damn Turks."

Part 6: Breakin' the Ice

Silence hung in the air as the two sat there, motionless and just staring at one another. They were both determined to prevail, one sitting nonchalantly, acting as if nothing was wrong, while the other sat stiffly in his own chair, scrutinizing the others every move.

Reno and Tseng stood once again behind the glass after the raven haired man had changed the simulator into an interrogation room. With and hour and forty five minutes of complete silence, Reno's patience was running thin once again. He turned his aqua gaze to his leader. "Remind me again why we put Rude in there first."

"I thought he'd be able to 'break the ice' so to speak." Tseng replied with a dry chuckle.

"If anything, he's making a whole new layer of ice to break through." Reno leaned over the control panel, letting his arms hold him up. "It's been a staring contest since we began. I say you let me get in there, I'll break the ice _and_ melt it all away."

"And I say that's a wonderful Idea, Reno, but our definition of an ice breaker are two completely different things. The point of this is to see how easily she trusts and distrusts certain people. I'm making it so she doesn't trust half of us, or in this Rude and myself. Then I want her to trust you and Elena to start with. Over time, she should learn that she can trust all the Turks. Until then, I want to see how she treats those she trusts." He looked over at Reno. "And those she doesn't." His hand gestured to Rude.

"So once we know how she reacts to people she doesn't like, we'll be able to shape her training around that." Reno said slowly, piecing the puzzle together as he went. "And train her to trust no one but the Turks."

"Precisely."

"You're a one hell of a master mind, boss."

"Thank you." He looked back at the two and sighed, content. "That should do it. Now I want you to go in…and give her this." The sword charm dangled from his hand, and Reno gave him a doubtful look. "Don't worry. She might seem like a small monster, but she has enough heart to not strike you…unless you provoke her to."

"Would you like me to get any info outta her?" The red head took the sword necklace into his pale hand.

"What can we get from her? We aren't in any need of information at the moment. She's not a criminal hiding something we want. Just ask her about her self, tell her about yourself. Make sure she likes you."

"That's easy. All the girls like me." A grin plastered his face as he walked towards the door.

"But do all girls give you a bloody nose?" An eyebrow was raised and Renos expression darkened once he saw the smirk on Tsengs face.

The two continued to sit there, just staring at one another, willing the other to move first. But the bald Turk simply narrowed his eyes behind the dark sunglasses, and Logan only twitched her lip. Her mind wandered a few times, thinking about several different ways to attempt an escape. Pro's and con's of each situation equally played through her head, and every con generally ended with the consequence of death. Finally she sighed, and she noticed Rude shake his head slightly. Surprised, her eyes widened apprehensively, wondering if he could read her thoughts.

"Yes, I can." He said, not even smiling.

"You're such a liar." Reno's voice sounded from behind, and Rude sighed, looking up at the red haired man while the young girl turned around in her chair.

"Do you even know what I was talking about?" He grumbled.

"Knowing you, you were playing mind games with the poor kid." When Rude opened his mouth to reply, the red head cut him off by nodding towards the door. "Tseng wants to see you now, I can take it from here, partner."

Rude spoke no more, only got to his feet in silence and slipped out of the room, leaving Reno alone with the new girl. Once the door clicked shut, Reno turned on his heels, passing by the girl and dropping the charm on the table in front of her. She watched it hit the wood with her golden eyes, before slowly looking up at Reno as he sat on the edge of the table.

"Hey, kid." His voice echoed off the metal walls, but she remained silent, just looking up at him. "Name's Reno. Sorry about Rude there, he's big and scary lookin', but he's a great cook." The man smiled.

After what felt like years, the child spoke. "Can he really read minds?" She asked quietly.

Reno laughed. "Did he tell you that?" When she didn't answer, he continued. "No, he can't read minds. Believe it or not, kid, we're actually human. I mean, we ain't like Cloud and his gang…We're better."

Expecting a smile, but receiving nothing, Reno sighed and reached for her charm But it was gone before he could, held tightly in her hands.

"Guess that's somethin' important to ya."

"How would you feel if you were in a terrifying place without a weapon?" She countered coolly, and Reno smiled, slipping into his own chair at the end of the table. "That Katana thing was cool, but I like my own weapon."

"I know how ya feel." He pulled out his EMR, flicking it to its fullest length and letting the electric current circle around the tip. His eyes flickered over the girls face, looking somewhat fearful, and he slowly put it away. "Listen, kid, I'm not gonna hurt ya. Yeah, we're Turks, but we don't kill without a reason."

"What about kidnapping? Do you do that without reason?"

"How old are you?"

"I asked you a question first." She said coolly, her eyes narrowed and scrutinizing, Of course, she didn't expect the man to actually answer her question, but when he sighed and opened his mouth to reply, her austere mask fell.

"We don't kidnap all that often, and when we do, it does have a reason behind it. And I'm sure you wanna know why we took you, right?" Logan nodded slightly, and he continued. "Kid, we don't want to hurt you, and we aren't going to hurt you unless you try and pull some serious shit. We aren't bad people, but we aren't the good guys either. Believe it or not, you and I and everyone else in this building have come from a bad child hood. So, we band together, we rely on each other… We're a family."

"The president had a bad child hood?" She asked, her eyes slightly wider than before.

Now the red head smiled, and was relieved when Logan smiled as well. "No, he's the exception here. So do ya get why you're here yet?"

"No. I don't want to be here, I was happy where I was, and please let me go." She said, her smile already gone.

"What's your name, kid?" Reno asked, just to change the subject. Logan noticed this and sighed in defeat.

"Logan."

"What kinda girl name is Logan?" The red head asked, acting as if he didn't already know her name.

"What sort of name is Reno?"

A smirk formed on both their lips, but Reno spoke next. "It's actually a name of a city or two on that sorry excuse for a planet."

"Logan's also the name of a city on Earth…that is the planet you were talking about, right?"

"Isn't Logan a man city?"

"I didn't know cities had genders." She smirked, folding her arms over her chest. "A friend of mine said Reno was a drug haven."

"You have friends?" Asked the red head, tilting his head slightly, now smiling. In return, Logan smiled, feeling a little more comfortable with the red head. Reno looked the girl up and down, his eyes examining her torn clothes, scratched arms and bruised face. "Get into a lot fights?"

"Rather fell down the stairs." She lied, her eyes shifting around the room. Reno easily caught it and made a mental note to teach the girl how to lie properly. "Sorry about your nose."

He shrugged. "It's fine. I'll end up getting you back…most likely by accident, really."

"So I have no chance of being free?"

"Ya know I once fell down the stairs. Fell right into Rude. You wanna talk about bad first impressions? Broke his sunglasses the first time I met him." Reno had let his eyes wander around the room before letting them rest on the girl again. But she had kept her eyes low, examining her sword in her hands. Something told Reno she wasn't talking after that. "Hey kid…er…Logan. I want ya to know that I'm here, okay? You wanna talk to some one? Talk to me." He had gotten to his feet, making his way back towards the door.

"Hey, Reno?" She asked, her voice sounding so much smaller than she actually was. The Turk paused mid-stride, turning slightly to look at the girl. "How many Turks are there?

"Four…now five."

"What happened to all the others?" Her eyes remained fixed on the table while the red head looked her up and down once more. His hand hovered over the door knob as he planned a somewhat straight answer.

"Something that won't happen to you."


	2. Chapter 2

Part one: Calling a Bluff 

"Are you going out tonight?" Rude asked, looking over at his red haired friend as he pulled the sleek black B.M.W into the apartment complex. After the explosion, the remainder of ShinRa employees relocated to said apartment, for it was the least damaged. Well, all of the employees that hadn't deserted. The flaming red head remained staring out of the window, however, and didn't hear his partners' question. With his eyebrows pulled together, Rude slowly reached over to tap his friend on the shoulder, but Renos' head whipped around just before the bald Turk could touch him.

He wasn't second in command of the Turks just for his good looks.

"What?" Renos eyes glanced at his partners tan hand, and then returned his aqua gaze to his face. "Did ya say somethin'?"

"Oh, I just told you who my latest crush was, nothing important." Rude had to keep back laughter as the red head widened his eyes, alight with excitement. The bald Turk, however, quickly shot him down. "No, I asked you if you were going out tonight."

Immediately, his excited face fell, and he scowled at his partner. "No where with you, ya lyin' ass." Huffed Reno as he angrily pushed his car door open. An unfortunate thing about the red haired Turk was how he was easily angered, but luckily, he didn't stay so for long. Rude had remained in the car for another twenty seconds before beginning to count back from three. By one, Reno leaned in through the passenger side window. "Sorry, buddy."

"You do the same thing, Ren; I know you'll come back." A small smiled played across Rudes face. "So, what are you doing tonight?" After twelve fifteen years of working under Reno, and ten years of being his right hand man, Rude had learned to remain patient. "But let me remind you, work starts at six tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, man, I know." He dismissed the news with a wave of his hand. "I don't feel like goin' boozin' anyway… Actually, I might head back over to the lodge."

"What's with you and that girl?" Rude asked, an eyebrow raised. "She gave you a bloody nose," Reno opened his mouth to protest, but Rude quickly continued, "And you can't seem to stay away from her."

Reno ran a hand through his hair and shrugged. "I don't know, yo. Think about it. The last batch of recruits we had kicked the bucket…she's a baby, Rude. That one red head boy was at least eighteen when he started. Logan's fifteen. Tseng takes care of his Turks…but she can't handle this."

"Last I remember, you were fifteen when you started. And now look at you."

The red head shook his head, pulling back from the car. Rude got out of his own seat, looking at the back of Renos head as he leaned against the side of the car. "Nah, Rude. There were a good number of Turks when I started. I didn't have to pick up a rod until I was sixteen, didn't have to practice firing a gun until I was eighteen. Hell, I was on a mission until nineteen. I had training." Rude had walked around the car and leaned against the car beside his friend. "You were trained for a good two years till they let you on the battle field…Rude; we got at least three months of training her until Tseng puts her on the frontline."

"I really don't think Tseng would put his Turks in danger."

"If we needed more Turks he would. There's four of us…Tseng's gonna use her as soon as we need her." He sighed, pushing himself off the car and digging in his pockets for his keys. Reno tilted his head as he looked at Rude, worry clear in his eyes. "Might not give a damn about the kid now, but it's gonna be one of those 'grow on ya' things, ya know?"

"'Grow on ya'?" Rude smiled slightly, walking towards the front door, Reno trailing behind him.

"Yeah. Like you an' me. You hated my guts when ya first met me."

"You ran into me and broke my glasses. Then ya kept running." Rude chuckled, looking down at him. "That was when I had been taken in by the Turks for questioning about my suicidal parents. Took them a good seven years to get to the case, but at least they got to it."

A smile plastered Renos face as he recalled that night. "Yeah, how old were you? God, I was like sixteen or somethin'…I had blown up Tsengs office and was runnin' like a bat outta hell…Who knew metal wasn't supposed to go into the microwave?" He laughed. "Ya know, that was the first and last time I ever used one of those things."

Rude chuckled as well, hitting the elevator call button with his elbow. "Yes, I was twenty at least. Two years later, you people gave me a call and told me to get my ass over to the main building. And then there you were again. You were running after some one… dripping wet…" His eyebrow was raised again.

"I told Sixk to stay away from my locker." Reno growled, his hands balling into fists. "I laughed when he died." The elevator doors slid open, allowing the two to step inside. "So are you going anywhere tonight?"

"Have you noticed how all of our conversations seem to be going in circles?" Rude leaned against the side of the elevator, arms folded across his chest. The red head shrugged, looking up at the bland white ceiling. "No, I'm just going to stay in tonight."

"I'm going to need your car if I wanna go over to the lodge."

"Tseng restricted you from driving…I think it best you not use my car." The bald Turk recalled the day his red haired friend had destroyed his own car, flipping a few times before he climbed out of the wreckage, bleeding from the head and cursing maniacally. But that was a story for another day.

Reno half laughed and half grunted. "Doesn't stop me from driving, and we all know that." The elevator came to a stop on the seventeenth floor, a floor exclusively for the Turks while the floor above theirs was Shinra's domain. The red head nonchalantly twirled his keys on his forefinger as he stepped out of the metal box, wondering whether or not to just go straight back to the lodge. It slightly bothered him, how he was already somewhat attached to the new kid. Granted, if Tseng didn't want her anymore, Reno could put the gun to her head. But still, he wanted to talk to her again, understand her and see just what she had been through.

Yes, he had bent the truth a little with the 'we're all from a bad past'. Elena obviously had a nearly perfect child hood. Tseng didn't say anything about his, but to Reno, he never appeared scarred in his life. Rude had had suicidal parents. His dad took a nose dive off the plate above Midgar (to this day, Reno wonders how he had gotten up therein the first place), while his mom blew her brains against the wall when Rude was still a little kid. It didn't seem to bother the bald Turk anymore, but Reno knew when Rude was thinking about it. That was when it was best to just leave the older man alone.

Shaking his head, Reno brought himself back to his original thoughts. Logan. What was Tseng going to do with her? Would he keep her in training until she was at least eighteen? _Could_ she stay in training until she was eighteen? He stopped mid-stride, letting Rude continue down the hall. Was there anything at the lodge for the girl to eat? A smirk crossed his face. Now he had a somewhat good reason to go back to headquarters.

"I'm taking your car, yo." Reno told his partner, who was already on the other end of the hall, with his own keys in the apartment door. "Seems like a fast food night, ya know? Besides, I can drop something off for the kid. Ya want anything?"

Rude grunted in reply. Whether it was to his borrowing the car or to stuffing his face with fat filled and greasy food, Reno didn't know. Luckily, Rude clarified. "I'd rather not destroy my stomach, thanks."

"Hey, it destroys your heart, man, get it right! Anyway, we run around so much, it's impossible to die from one night of fast food." Protested the red head as he began walking towards his partner to retrieve the keys. He noticed a hint of a smile on Rudes face.

"I'll make sure they put that on your grave stone."

"No way you're out living me old man!"

Ducking below an attempted punch, Reno slipped the car keys out of his partners pocket. The sly Turk was already three paces away by the time Rude had stopped his fist from soaring through the air. He scowled as Reno jangled the keys, smirking like the smart ass he was. "You better sleep with one eye open, ginger."

"Bring ya back some fries?"

"If ya don't devour them before you get back." Rude called as the red head strolled back towards the elevator. The bald Turk had to fight back a smile as he stepped into his own little apartment. If what the president had said about Logan being another Reno was true, Rude was certainly looking forward to this new adventure.

Part two: Accommodations 

"Tseng?"

His dark brown eyes glanced up from the papers on his desk, finding a timid Elena standing in the door way. Shifting her weight ever so slightly, the blue eyed young woman peered around the room, waiting for further permission to speak. But when an awkward silence followed, she realized Tseng was waiting for to continue.

"I tried to talk to the girl…"

"And?" Tseng inquired, his eyes shifting past her and through the open door.

"The only thing I could get out of her was her name and age. She barely talked the whole time." The blonde Turk ran through the past hour, making sure there hadn't been any details missed. But that was it. Logan had muttered at most three words. "I'm not sure Tseng, but I don't think we can get that girl to talk at least for another week or so."

"But Reno was able to break through her so easily… She spoke to him." He was speaking more to himself than Elena. "Trusting twenty-five percent of the Turks…" His head shook slightly as he looked back down at the papers. "This might take longer than expected. You may return home Elena. Reno and Rude should be in early tomorrow, but I still want you here no later than eight a.m. Understood?" Once she had bowed and added a 'yes sir' the blond Turk slipped out of the room, leaving Tseng, Logan and Rufus alone in the lodge.

The leader of the Turks cursed under his breath. He still had to get Rufus home, but he wasn't going to leave Logan here without some adult nearby. Honestly, he didn't want her to remain in the Healin lodge at all. She at least deserved a home for her self, but not until Tseng knew she wouldn't make a run for it. And he needed food for the girl, along with sleeping accommodations. For the first month or two, Logan could stay with one of the Turks, preferably Elena. But if the woman couldn't get the girl to talk, it wasn't in Tsengs best interest to place the two under the same roof. A sigh escaped his lips as he collapsed in his office chair, his hand rubbing his forehead.

Last time, the Turks had stayed in the main building itself, making it easier to keep a close eye on the new kids from a distance. But without the video cameras, the Turks would have to stay close to the girl at all times. It basically meant that someone was going to get stuck babysitting until Logan accepted her fate.

A door was opened then closed, and as Tseng looked up, he saw the tall and lean figure of his second in command. The leader smiled for a moment, seeing the bag of fast food in Renos pale hands. "Well speak of the devil." Tseng said.

Reno gave his leader an odd look. "Take it you were expecting me?"

Shrugging, Tseng sat upright. "You have been the only one who has gotten a whole conversation out of Logan. Not even Elena could communicate with her." His elbows were set on the desk as he laced his fingers before resting his head on top of them. "Congratulations Reno, you get the first neophyte." He eyed the fast food bag. "Please tell me you at least got her something somewhat healthy. I would like to start training first thing tomorrow."

"How long do you plan on training?" He asked, stepping further into the room. Tseng smiled wider, noting how Reno was practically connected to the girl already.

"As long as I can. Why so interested? Has this girl just gotten to you on a good day, or has she hit a nerve?"

With a scowl, Reno plopped into the seat before Tseng. "Had a good day. Success with the mission and all. I'll hate her by tomorrow." Tseng, however, raised an eyebrow, knowing his past apprentice too well. Frustrated, Reno continued. "Fine. She hit close to home base. She was forced into this, like me. She lost her parents, like I eventually did. Dammit Tseng, this kid has killed people that deserved it. Rufus is a psycho, and she doesn't have the heart to kill people because one man said to."

"She killed her own mother." Eyebrows pulled together and Reno stopped, watching his leader, waiting for more information. Tseng simply sighed, sitting back in his chair and pulling a file out from a drawer. "Her mother had over dosed on pain medication. Logan hadn't meant to give her mother everything, I'm sure. But still. She's seen horrific things before. She's able to shut everything out, become someone else. That someone else will help the company rise again."

"So you're saying that we take an emotionally scarred kid and scar her _even more_?" Reno hissed. "That's bull shit and you know it! I might be a Turk, but I still have enough heart to keep someone safe."

"You're looking for redemption."

"I'm _what_?"

"The plate?" He didn't miss the red head flinch slightly. "You knew you had killed many children and women. Rude told me about you saving those kids from Kadaj's summon. You know that in this field, people risk death all the time." His hand gestured towards his head, where the nasty scar given to him by Kadaj remained. "You're trying to protect the girl."

"Damn straight I'm trying to protect her."

"Guilt is a powerful thing Reno. I know you've suppressed most of yours. Is it starting to overflow?" Renos eyes shifted slightly to the left. One person Reno could never lie to was Tseng. "Is this about the last recruits again?"

"Both the plate and the recruits. It's why I almost killed myself, Tseng. Why I flipped that damn car. I'm trying to be strong, sir. But how much longer can I last? How the hell do you do it?"

"If you haven't noticed Reno, I'm not the one constantly out killing people. But when I am, I simply remember that I am doing something for the better. I have to separate myself from who I am. There's me, sitting here and speaking with you. Then there's _him_, who can look the one he loves most in the eye and shoot them. When I'm gone, and you take over, you will learn how there will be you and _him_."

Reno toyed with the bag for a moment, absorbing everything his leader said. He spoke slowly, forming the thoughts as he went. "So when you float off in little green lights, leaving me to deal with Rufus, I should have learned how to deal with split personalities?"

Tseng laughed and leaned forward once more. "That's it exactly Reno. I will die, you'll be stuck with the president, and you'll enjoy the benefits of housing two different people."

"Gee, I feel loads better, boss man." Reno rolled his eyes.

Another chuckle. "You might want to go and check on the girl. She could be sleeping again, because it's nearly ten. If she is, I want you to inject this into her." He pulled a syringe from his jacket, filled with a clear liquid. "It'll keep her sleeping for a while longer. At least long enough for you to carry her around."

"Wait! _What_?"

"She's going to stay with you." Tseng said simply, getting up and stretching his tired limbs. "You want to protect her, keep her within your sight at all times. Feel free to chain her to something." He walked towards the door. "I have to take the president home. I want you and her here by six tomorrow morning. And Rude of course. She's your apprentice now, you train her."

"I just came to give her food and you're practically making me adopt the kid?!"

"Precisely." Was the last thing Tseng had said before he had disappeared from the room. Reno remained where he was for another minute or two, just watching the door and waiting for the 'gotcha' part of the joke. But when Tseng didn't come back, Renos shoulders sagged and he grabbed the syringe and food bag. One thing he had learned as a Turk was that things sometimes changed faster than he could think.


End file.
